M56 Bridge Replacement Works

Eve has been involved in undertaking major projects within the Infrastructure sector since the company’s inception, and the contract to move a 2,000 tonne bridge along the M56 ranks as one of the most impressive.

Location

Manchester

Customer Name

Balfour Beatty

Products Used

Hybrid Panels

The contract, for Balfour Beatty, involved Eve’s trakway panels being used to protect part of the M56 motorway, enabling the movement of a large section of a bridge which will ultimately form part of the HS2 route. The hugely impressive move represents the largest single load to go over Eve’s trakway in its 50 year history!

Eve was contracted to install 700 aluminium hybrid panels, at various points along the M56 and at the finishing position to be utilised as a large pad to support the huge section of bridge. The job involved moving the load from its build point adjacent to the Manchester Airport slip road to its final point on the M56. The new bridge is designed and being installed to allow better rail and metro (tram) connections to and from Manchester Airport.

The bridge was moved utilising massive SPMT remotely operated cranes, which have approximately 40 wheels on 20 axles, all capable of turning independently. The equipment is highly specialised and required trakway to prevent the wheels causing any expensive damage to the roadway when turning with its heavy load.

As a major UK motorway, the timescales for access to the site were very strict, with the motorway closed from the evening of 27th February until the early morning of 2nd March 2015. The window of opportunity was tight for completion of the move and there was no allowance for the project over-running. By all members of the project team working collaboratively, the work was completed on time and with no damage to the load, the crane or the motorway.

Eve also demonstrated its flexibility and capacity when the customer made a last minute request to have stock and staff on site as a contingency for the weekend. By utilising the company’s Haydock Service Centre, crews were re-distributed and 200 panels were delivered to site within hours, swiftly giving the customer peace of mind and showing the strength of Eve’s nationwide network and stock levels.

“It was amazing to be involved in something that is an historic moment in Eve’s history. The project had a number of key challenges, but these were managed by effective planning and meticulous team work, making the job look easier than it actually was! The panels did their job superbly, look fantastic and it’s a real credit to our crews that this job was such a success.”

Our website uses cookies to monitor traffic on our website and ensure that we can provide our customers with the best online experience possible. Please read our cookie policy to view more details on the cookies we use.